


I Don't Even Know You

by martinfreemanwearsjumpers



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Everyone pities him, Fluff, Gavin has amnesia, M/M, Michael is a sad pumpkin, Pity Party, happy endings, idfk, ooh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-18
Updated: 2014-09-18
Packaged: 2018-02-17 20:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2322503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martinfreemanwearsjumpers/pseuds/martinfreemanwearsjumpers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How did they get to this point?  From "I'm a huge fan" to "I don't even know you!"</p><p>He doesn't want his ring back, he wants Gavin, his Gavin and all the memories attached to him, back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Don't Even Know You

**Author's Note:**

> Hey-o! This is a fic that I've worked on for literally months and have had saved for a while. I've been waiting until it was totally finished so that I wouldn't be posting another multichapter that I couldn't update frequently. Here it is, in all of it's not-so-glorious glory. Oh, and excuse mistakes--I wrote it over a long period of time so a few stray ones may have gotten away from me.

The day they met, Gavin had fanboyed over Michael, who had been recording Rage Quit as he walked through the door.

Gavin was led into the office by Geoff, who hastily ushered him into the room mentioning how he needed to get into Burnie's office as soon as he could, how glad he was that Gavin was here,but how tired he must be.

But the Brit heard loud screaming from a room along the side.

"Fuck! Dammit!" followed by, "What the hell?! What the fuck am I supposed to do? How the hell do I get to the next fucking level?!"

He sent a questioning look towards Geoff who just sent him a small smirk, putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him forward.

"Motherfucking fuck!"

Gavin and Geoff found quiet in Burnie's office as they entered, Geoff settling next to the door while Gavin was told to sit in a chair in front of his boss.

"Gavin Free, nice to finally meet you, you bastard," Burnie greeted with a bright smile, hugging Gavin before the younger boy could sit. "So let's talk about what your responsibilities are here."

Towards the end of the meeting, Geoff also piped up.

"And I wanted to talk to you about this thing I've been thinking of starting, Achievement Hunter, where we play games and show achievement guides and shit like that. The idea's been in place for months, we're bringing a guy in from New York, too, but Burnie said we should find one more man."

Gavin turned around to see Geoff wringing his hands, and then back to Burnie who smiled.

"If you want to, Gav, you can sit in with Geoff in the Achievement Hunter office for the day.

We can get you a desk and everything you need by the end of the week. That is, if you'd rather work with the guys there than the guys in graphics."

Gavin had met the guys in graphics, he had spent days Skyping with them at a time. Perhaps it would make more sense to sit in with the graphic team, as that was what they brought him in for. But at Achievement Hunter, whatever the hell that would end up being, he could play games with Geoff and whoever else would be in that office...

"Yeah, okay. I'll sit in with Geoff for a bit."

"You know you've still got stuff to do with graphics? And you'll do your fair bit of editing whatever we make," Geoff reminded him.

"I know," Gavin said with a smile.

"Great," Burnie agreed, standing. "Then Geoff'll show you to the office. Ray from New York will come in a few hours, but Michael and Jack are in the office."

Geoff quickly showed Gavin where the kitchen, bathroom, and graphics room were, introducing him to the various staff along the way, and then led him into the "Achievement Hunter" office, which was composed of two desks on the left side, two desks on the right, and a couch against the empty wall.

The desks were supplied with a computer and a television monitor, an Xbox under the desk, mouse pads and keyboard on each, all facing the wall.

Geoff pulled a chair from the desk closest to the window on the right to the desk across from it, and told Gavin to pop a squat.

Two guys walked into the room, laughing. The taller of the two had red hair and a bright red beard, while the younger wore a gray beanie over his own red curls, his hoodie hanging loosely over his shoulders.

Geoff stood up, and Gavin looked over, caught still standing.

"Hey assholes, this is Gavin," Geoff said with a smile. "The tall one's Jack, and the other one's--"

Gavin had walked over shaking their hands, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Michael.

"Don't get me wrong, you're all awesome, but Michael, I must say, I love Rage Quit. It's fucking hilarious, bloody top."

Michael nodded slowly.

"Right. Top," he replied, pulling his hand away from Gavin's. "So Gavin."

"Do either of you jackasses need anything done? Gav's looking for something to do."

Jack shook his head.

"This Things to Do is pretty important to me," he explained.

Michael raised his hand.

"You could edit today's Rage Quit for me if you want. I could teach you how I want it."

Gavin smirked and nodded. The opportunity to sit next to his favorite internet celebrity? Like hell if he was going to pass it up.

He scooted his chair across the room and next to Michael's desk, the middle one on the right wall.

"So basically, I've selected what I wanted on this side, it's all about formatting now..."

-

The day Michael and Gavin went out for lunch for the first time without anyone with them came after the day they first met.

The two of them entered Jersey Mike's, and Michael recommended his favorite sandwiches to the Brit who simply smiled and nodded, ordering the last one mentioned.

"So where are you staying?"

"Geoff's got a shed at his house, and Griffon says I can stay as long as I do the dishes sometimes."

Michael laughed, and they continued to talk, the boy from New Jersey commenting on the Brit's idiocy.

"You should come over to my place some day. My complex has a pool, and I've never gone for swimmies, so we could do that."

-

Ray joined Team Lads after their first lunch together.

He was seated in the office, but he shot out of his seat when he saw Gavin, as Michael had excused himself to go to the bathroom.

"Hi, you're Gavin Free, right? Your name was in the credits of RvB sometimes."

"Yes, and you're Ray Narvaez Jr. Highest gamer score in New York, and now in Texas. Congratulations on that, by the way."

Ray opened his mouth in thanks when Michael entered the room.

"Michael, dude, what's up?"

"You know each other?" Gavin asked, his voice sounding a little disappointed.

"We met on the site before Michael got called in a few months ago. We figured, hell, we're close enough, we should hang out," Ray laughed, pulling Michael into a quick hug. "And I told Michael that I got a call from Geoff, who is basically my hero, and he talked me up until I had been accepted for the position."

"Your gamer score did most of the talking for me, man. I'm just glad to see you."

"So Gav, you're here for Achievement Hunter too?"

"Yeah, I suppose. Geoff wants me on, and I guess I owe the dude. He's letting me stay with him, after all," Gavin said with a smile, offering his hand.

Ray shook his hand, a grin on his face that brightened his eyes up.

"So, wanna see this video I'm working on?"

-

The day Michael realized Gavin was the one for him, the latter was on a plane, his destination one thousand miles away from the former, two years after their first meeting.

He had been clumsy all morning, stumbling over his feet, tripping as he entered the office, spilling his coffee, so he thought his bad mood had been caused by that.

He grumbled through Let's Plays, noticing the horrific silence of the room as Ray sabotaged Ryan and Ryan threatened to kill him. He didn't laugh as much, hardly laughed at all, really.

Things just weren't funny today. Why was that?

Oh, he didn't have Gavin to pick on. He would go to lunch alone today.

And it only made his day worse.

He didn't think anyone would notice, but anyone who knows Michael Jones knows that when he's really, seriously, angry, he's silent--his face turns red and his fists curl up, but he doesn't speak. At most, he grumbles and growls, but it was nothing like the yelling that occurred as theatrics--and Ray knew his best friend.

"Hey, man, what's going on?"

"I don't know, man," Michael sighed, spinning his chair with his feet. "Something just feels off."

"No way, has he finally realized it?" Geoff asked, taking his headphones on and spinning his chair as well.

"Realized what?" Michael wondered defensively.

"That Gavin's the reason shit feels off for you today."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Obviously you miss him."

"He's my best friend," Michael shrugged. "Of course I miss him."

"Please, he's definitely more than that," Ray muttered.

"What did you say?" the Jersey boy asked, despite having heard the words.

"Nothing."

Little did Ray know, his words would make Michael realize something he should have three days ago:

He loved Gavin Free.

-

The day Gavin let himself realize that Michael was the one for him, he was getting off a plane, his coming from one thousand miles away from the redhead.

He'd known from the moment they met that Michael would mean the world to him, even if it wasn't romantically, but it fucking was, of course. Just his luck, he never wanted to fall in love.

Much less with his damn best friend.

When he got down from the plane, he texted Geoff and Michael that he had arrived and was going to be at the baggage claim in a moment.

He went through customs once more, and then found his baggage claim, claim 7, and stood with his hands in his pocket, watching the bags move in a round. He noticed people pulling their luggage off of the belt and wondered when he was going to find his bags.

Just as he spotted his on the other side of the belt, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Gavin."

Gavin turned around to see Michael with a lousy little bouquet of flowers and an awkward smile.

"Flowers, really?"

"There are some things that need to be said," Michael said quietly and hugged him. "But first of all, I'm just really fucking glad you're home."

Gavin couldn't help but think how uncharacteristic it was for Michael to be acting so un-ragey, but at the same time it was sort of nice.

"Me too," Gavin replied.

As Michael pulled away, he handed him the flowers and nodded toward the conveyor belt.

"Your bags come yet?"

His black suitcase with his creeper tag pulled up in front of him and he reached out to pull it to him, the case landing at his feet.

They turned around and began to walk towards the exit, Michael entwining his fingers with Gavin's.

"I missed you a lot, Gavin."

"I missed you, too, my boy."

-

The day they told each other their secrets, it all melded together. Immediately, it made sense.

When Gavin felt Michael's lips pressed softly against his, a hand lightly on his back, it was so obvious.

He was meant to stand beside Michael Jones. And nothing would change that.

-

The day Michael asked Gavin to spend forever with him, they were at a Breaking Bad watch party at Burnie's on their one year anniversary.

Everyone knew that they were together, sure. But only a handful of people knew of Michael's plans--the Achievement Hunters (all of which yelped excitedly when told, as Gavin had been out on a Jersey Mike's run, especially Ray), Barbara, Jordan, and Burnie. The others would get to be as surprised as Gavin.

While they were all sitting on Burnie's patio (where Michael took such exquisite notes on the design that it finally sunk in that he was going to marry his boi) and Gavin had gone to grab some beers from Burnie's fridge, Michael placed a white gold ring with diamonds embedded, so it didn't look like the average engagement ring, on top of the boy's burger across from him.

He then trained his eyes on the screen and curled his hands into fists in an attempt to slow his racing heart.

He heard Gavin whine about having to get everyone beer, but he handed them out despite his complaint. Michael felt Ray nudge him, and he watched as Gavin sat back down across from him.

"The hell is this?" Gavin asked, picking the ring up gingerly, his head turned in everyone's general direction.

"Why, Gavin," Geoff teased. "I believe that's an engagement ring. Whoever could you be getting one of those from?"

At this point, everyone had turned their heads to the commotion and had goofy and surprised smiles on their faces.

Michael's heart skipped a beat when he saw Gavin turn around so their eyes were locked.

"Really?"

Michael nodded.

"Aren't you supposed to get on one knee or something?"

The redhead smirked and obliged, taking the ring from his boyfriend.

"Gavin Free, would you do me the honor of becoming my fucking husband?"

Gavin, of course, smirked and replied an ecstatic "yes!" before joining Michael on his side of the table, their hands locked.

And hell if Michael couldn't stop himself from running his fingers over Gavin's ring.

His ring.

-

The day Gavin forgot everything, Michael had picked out a new dining table.  He was on his way home when Geoff called him.

"Hey, man, I found a really awesome dining table that Gav'll probably like--"

"Come to St. Peter's Hospital, Michael. Gavin got into a car accident. He's fine physically, it's just that--"

"I'll be right there."

The next few minutes of Michael's life involved driving way past the speed limit, praying to whatever deity that would save his fiancé that Gavin would be okay, that he wouldn't get pulled over by a police.

When he pulled up at St. Peter's, he dashed into the lobby and almost screamed Gavin's name, following the halls to get to where he needed to be.

He entered the room, relieved to see Gavin sitting up with a bandage around his head and a splint on his arm, his talking and laughing with Geoff and Ray.

"Gavin, are you okay?" Michael asked, immediately taking the empty seat next to his bed and taking his hand. "I'm so glad you're okay, you asshole."

Gavin looked around curiously at Geoff and Ray.

"I'm fine," the Brit replied in a voice that didn't sound like his, pulling his hand away slowly. "But I think you might have the wrong room."

Michael turned to Geoff with wide eyes.

"Gavin, man. That's Michael," Ray reminded.

"Michael?" Gavin asked. "I don't know a Michael."

"Michael Jones," Geoff added, watching Michael back up from the man he loved. "From Rooster Teeth."

Gavin snapped his fingers.

"Ah, Rage Quit, right? Big fan," he said with a crooked smile and his hand out. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of my favorite internet lad to visit me at the hospital?"

Michael shook his head.

"Gavin, come on. This isn't, uh, funny. We should call a doctor or something because--"

Michael was cut off by a quiet and sudden sob, Ray running to his side to hold him up.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Gavin asked Geoff, clutching the older man's arms. "Why is he crying?"

"Gavin, Michael isn't just some guy that you watch online. Michael's your fiancé," Geoff explained.

"I'm getting married?"

Michael stood up, shaking Ray off of him lightly.

"Sorry, I can't do this," Michael said, stammering into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him, leaning over the toilet, chucking his breakfast. He wiped his mouth with sleeve and groaned.

No. Gavin can't forget him.

A light knock on the door made Michael jump a little, but so what?

"Michael, you're scaring Gavin. He has a concussion. He's a little confused. He didn't know Geoff either and he lived with him for three years," Ray sighed, handing him a Dixie cup of water.

Michael shook his head.

"You're right. I shouldn't worry about that. He'll remember me."

-

He didn't.

Three weeks after the accident, Gavin had moved back in with Geoff, most of his clothes leaving with him, and had remembered everything and everyone--except for the ring on his finger and the man who gave it to him.

He sat next to Michael during work, but he leaned toward Ray and went out to lunch with Ray and everyone. During a certain outing, Gavin had done something that made Michael want to cry.

"Michael?" Gavin asked, and Michael looked up with eyes so desperate and hopeful, the Brit wanted to run away.

"Yeah, Gavin?"

"Do you want your ring back?"

Michael's eyes turned down towards his sandwich, and everyone around him was silent.

"What?" Michael asked quietly, starting to wrap up his sandwich.

"It's just, I know you want your Gavin, but I'm not your Gavin. You want to marry your Gavin, but I'm not him. So if you want the ring--"

Michael stood up, tucking his wrapped sandwich into his pocket.

"No, Gavin. I don't want it back," he sighed, starting to back up. "You'll always be my Gavin."

And with that, Michael walked away.

Every time Michael looked at the British boy, he wanted to lean over and steal a kiss the way he always had before. He wanted to hold his hand. He wanted to feel Gavin touch him--because the boy hadn't laid a finger on him since his accident. He wanted to hear Gavin's dopey smirk in his voice when he said "I love you" in the darkness before they went to sleep every night.

But he wouldn't. Not until Gavin remembered him.

-

He drank a lot during that time, matching Geoff's alcohol intake. Michael stopped coming to work on time, arriving after he was sure his hangover was not evident. But when he did come in, he walked past Gavin and nobody said a word when he didn't reply to Ryan's greetings.

And occasionally, he made the mistake of tapping Gavin on the shoulder as the day ended.

But this day, the Brit approached him when he tried to sneak past.  "Michael, what the hell is your problem? You're always so angry and rude, who do you think you are?"

"Leave me alone, Gavin," the Jersey native shrugged the hand on his shoulder, nodding for Ray to continue walking out.

"See? You're always so mean! Why?"

"You should know why, but it doesn't matter. I'm leaving."

"Michael, you've been dancing around me for weeks! Just talk to me!"

The red head turned around, his teeth clenched.

"Why should I?"

At this point, even Gavin was getting angry, his eyes taunting.

"Because I deserve an explanation."

"I don't owe you anything. You would never talk to me this before. You used to think I was great."

"I don't even know you!" Gavin screamed, the group of people that had formed around them fell silent.

Michael shook his head.

"If you don't know me, why do you want to talk to me?"

Gavin's mouth fell open, an answer absent from his lips.

"This is why I don't want to talk to you, Gavin. Are we done here?"

Michael didn't notice that Ray had stepped beside him, an arm outstretched to prevent him from getting to Gavin. Geoff stood from the crowd of spectators.

"Michael, go home and get some rest. Gav's just a little riled up today."

Ray tugged on Michael's sleeve, "Come on."

Gavin had his fists clenched, tears threatening to spill.

"Have a good night, Gavin," Michael muttered, turning around and leaving.

Ray sighed as the Austin air hit his face. "I thought you were going to punch him."

"I would have, but I still love him. It pisses me off that he doesn't know who I was to him."

"He's just frustrated, he wants to remember everything but he can't, Michael."

-

On their two year anniversary, Gavin came in with a grin on his face. Michael came in twenty minutes late with bags under his eyes and a roaring headache, probably from the seven and a half empty beers and two whiskey bottles on his coffee table.

"Dude, you look like shit," Geoff muttered walking past him in the parking lot.

"Thanks."

"We're worried about you."

"Let's be honest, Geoff. I look like this almost every day."

"And you have for maybe three months."

"Thanks for reminding me."

Geoff placed an arm around Michael, sighing.

"I know, man. It's okay. Maybe he can learn to love you again, or something."

"Yeah, right."

Geoff released the younger man, pulling the door open for him.

"I don't know, dude. He's been asking about you a lot. Maybe talk to Ray."

Michael paused, one foot in the office and one on the front step.

"What?"

Geoff didn't turn around when he replied, "You did it once. Maybe you can do it again."

Michael stepped into the office with a nervous smile on his face.

Maybe he could.

-

"Hey, I'm heading to lunch. Think you wanna come?" Ray asked, waiting until Michael took off his headphones to talk, nodding towards Gavin who was laughing at Ryan on the other side of the room. "He's working on something with Miles."

"I'm almost done. Wait for me outside?"

"Okay," the Puerto Rican replied, a hand on Michael's shoulder. "And dude?"

The red head looked up expectantly.

"You look a little better today."

"Feeling better, Ray."

Michael pulled his headphones off and put his computer in sleep mode, taking his wallet out of his desk drawer and standing to leave the room.

"Hey, Michael," someone said behind him, a hand on his arm.

Michael turned his head to see Ryan. "What's up, rye bread?"

"I just wanted to say that you look like crap still, but I heard that you're going to lunch with Ray. And I think that's awesome."

"Thanks, man. I've gotta go."

"That's alright. I'm glad you're back."

-

"Dude, I'm glad you came out to lunch today. We haven't hung out since," Ray paused, putting his burger down. "Since, ya know."

"About that, I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh, sure. Tell X-Ray."

Michael looked around before continuing his speech.

"Geoff said that Gavin asked about me. Do you know what that's about?"

"Oh, no. I've tried to ask him, but he seems sort of super recluse about it. You should just talk to him."

"Bummer. I was hoping I'd be able to get him back," Michael muttered, biting into his burrito.

"Well, he has been talking about your freckles or some shit. Just like before. He's falling back into routine."

"But?"

"But you've been ignoring him."

"Yeah, that'll happen," Michael sighed, standing up. "I'm gonna try to find him before lunch is over."

"Michael, he's been sad. He remembers that you were important. Not that you loved him more than life."

"That's why I'm gonna remind him."

-

Michael pushed the door open to Jersey Mike's, seeing Gavin sitting alone in a corner with a sandwich in his hands.

He looked around and took a deep breath, adjusting his beanie before he took his steps toward the back of the restaurant.

Michael pulled the chair out from across where Gavin was seated, the Brit looking up nervously.

"M-Michael?" he stuttered.

"Hey, Gavin," the older boy said with a smile, sitting in his seat.

They sat in silence, the brunet staring at the man in front of him, his sandwich falling apart onto his plate.

"Michael, you're talking to me."

The redhead shrugged.

"Yeah. You're, uh, my best friend, Gav. I can't just let you go, is my point. And I want to start over. Let's just start from the beginning."

Gavin seemed to take a while to process the information, but he finally nodded.

"I would really like that. Being your friend. Not avoiding you. No more faking smiles with you. We can be friends."

"Good. Friends," Michael said, his hand outstretched between them.

"Friends."

They both smiled when their hands met, the older boy squeezing lightly.

-

Michael smiled more that day than he had in the last three months. And in his peripheral vision, he could see Gavin turning his head to look at him, a nervous grin on his face that slowly grew more relaxed by the end of the day.

Ray smiled at the two actually talking, and the rest of the Hunters praised Michael and Gavin for their work on the Minecraft Let's Play that would be coming out the next day.

"The fans will be really glad that Team Nice Dynamite is back in commission."

"Well we're glad to be back," Michael shrugged, standing up and pulling his hoodie on. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Everyone patted him on the back as he left with his hands in his pocket and into the parking lot.

"Hey, Michael!" a familiar accented voice shouted from behind him.

"Oh, hey Gav. You need a ride home?"

"Uh, nah, Geoff's leaving now, but I was wondering if you wanna go out for bevs."

"Oh, sure. We'll wait for Ray, then?"

Gavin shook his head, getting into to Michael's passenger seat.

"I was thinking bevs for two."

"Oh, right," Michael stammered, settling into the driver's seat. "Okay. Let's go, then."

-

Michael had known Gavin for four years, and he knew for a fact that his companion would be just drunk enough to remember everything by his eighth beer.

But Gavin had five beers before he wanted to leave the bar. Michael led the boy on his back and gestured for him to sit in the passenger seat of his car. He had been prepared for this, not drinking at all so that he'd be able to get Gavin home safely.

"Should I bring you to Geoff's or Ray's?"

"Can we hang out more, Mi-cool? I want to play some games," Gavin slurred.

Michael chuckled, driving them in silence to their apartment, his apartment, Gavin leaning on him as they walked into the living room.

"Gavin, I'm sorry for being a jackass all these months."

"It's okay, Michael. I get it, I think," the Brit shrugged. "I sort of wanted to talk about that a bit."

Michael looked at Gavin, nodding.

"Right. Okay. What about it?"

"So recently, I've been feeling sort of, I don't know, empty. It feels like something is sort of missing. I wake up in the morning, and I feel arms around me that I know aren't there. And I eat breakfast with Geoff and his family, and I see the way he kisses Griffon at the table, and I get jealous. I come in to work, and I get to sit next to you--and sometimes you even look at me--and everything feels a little better. But I listen to our old Let's Plays and I watched our old Behind the Scenes and the way you used to talk to me, the way you used to look at me... It's different. And I watched an RT Life last night, and it was called 'Mavin is Real.' It was our, uh, proposal video."

"Gavin, what is this about?"

"I know how much you care about me, Michael. And I get why you were sort of mingy, because you sort of lost--"

"I lost the love of my life, yeah. But Gavin, we're friends now, so that doesn't matter."

"But Michael, it does matter. It matters because it's obvious that I'm missing you. Your arms are what I feel in the morning, your voice is what I hear right before I go to bed. Sometimes I still feel your ring. I just want you to know that I get it. And I know I can't tell you right now that I love you. But I'm hoping one day, maybe I can."

Michael smirked.

"You sure you aren't super hammered right now?"

"No, I know enough. Sober enough," Gavin offered a sad smile, holding a hand to the other man's face. "To know that I want you to be my friend again. And maybe we can work that out."

Michael chuckled.

"Alright, dude. We'll discuss that tomorrow. Sleep up," he said, standing up.

"I'll be in my bedroom."

Gavin tugged on the blanket draped over the back of the couch so that it covered him, Michael shutting the door behind him.

He wanted to believe everything would be back to normal with Gavin, but it was too soon. And too poised to fail, so he would have to wait.

But still, it was a step in the right direction.

-

Michael woke up to darkness outside--still early, he assumed--and to Gavin laid out tucked under his arm, curled on his side.

For a moment, the redhead forgot that the man under him wasn't his fiancé anymore. Forgot that he wasn't supposed to love him anymore. Forgot that he had forgotten.

He began to pull his arm away when the British man stirred, turning to face him, a yawn in his mouth and sleep still attempting to coax his eyes closed.

"Morning, Michael."

It took everything he had not to close the five inch gap, to not kiss him, to not tell him he still loved him. It took everything not to grab him and beg him to remember, to marry him.

"What are you doing in my bed?" Michael asked in a whisper, but he already knew the answer.

"Living room's freezing," he murmured, tugging at the blanket.

Ever since they started living together, Gavin had always found the apartment cold, so Michael had suffered a little extra heat, as well as holding the Brit under the comforter every night so he wouldn't shiver.

"I'm sorry, I think I might have overstepped--" the Brit said awkwardly, sitting up.

Michael shook his head, urging the other man to lay down again.

"Come on, we've still got a few hours left before we have to go into work," he muttered offering the space under his arm. He had to swallow the sigh of relief that threatened to surface when Gavin pressed his body against Michael's.

"You're like a bloody furnace," he commented with a yawn.

Michael chuckled quietly, and once he felt Gavin's breaths slow, a tell that he'd learned meant he was finally asleep, he sighed with fatigue fogging up his mind, "You used to love that about me."

As he fell asleep, he let himself believe that he heard Gavin mutter in reply, "I still do."

-

"Michael, we're late."

He shot up out of bed passing by Gavin with incredibly unkempt hair, his shirt crumpled, to grab fresh clothes from his dresser and go to the bathroom.

"Can I borrow some clothes, Michael?"

"Third drawer on the right."

He pulled on the clean clothes and washed his face, staring at the mirror. The bags under his eyes had faded a bit, and his scowl had disappeared. It was so real.

He stepped out of the bathroom, knowing Gavin would need it, and found the other man staring at himself in the mirror.  He was wearing his Vav shirt, a shirt that Michael had forgotten was still left in Gavin's old drawer.

"This was my favorite shirt. I've been looking everywhere for this. Nearly screamed my head off at Griffon for losing it," Gavin said quietly, examining the fabric that cloaked his body. "Almost ordered a new one."

Michael shrugged, more interested in getting to work on time. "Should have told me, I would have brought it in to work."

Gavin turned to find the other man had already left the apartment and was waiting on the pavement.

"Come on, Vav. Time for our daily walk!" Michael shouted, running towards the street across from which was their office, recalling their old life.

Gavin followed, his phone in hand as he attempted to catch up with the redhead. The Brit was pleased to join Michael when he realized he'd stopped once he reached the other side so that they could walk together.

"Man, we're like, three hours late," he muttered before shoving Gavin towards the office. "And you're to blame."

They stumbled through the doors with smirks on their face and chuckles in their throats, but they froze when they saw Geoff and Ray talking loudly at everyone in the office.

"Geoff?" Gavin spoke quietly.

The bearded man turned his head and rushed towards the Brit, wrapping his arms tightly around him.

"You dick, if you're not gonna come home you have to call me back when I'm having a breakdown."

Gavin chuckled weakly, stepping back as Geoff awkwardly released him.

"Sorry, I just get really fucking worried about you."

"I know, Geoff. Sorry."

Michael walked towards them and received an angry look from the bearded man.

"Come on, man. You could have called me."

"I should have, I'm sorry."

"Did he pass out in your car or something?"

Michael shook his head.

"He, uh, stayed with me. I should have called you, it's just I got sort of caught up in everything," he sighed, looking up at the older man. "Things were said and it slipped my mind."

Geoff put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Whatever dude, next time. Okay?"

Michael turned to meet Ray's questioning look, and shrugged as they walked into the AH office.

"So?"

The red head took a deep breath.

"He said he feels like something's missing. That things feel a little empty. And he knows it's me, because he saw the proposal video. He wants us to be friends, and maybe more, I guess. He crawled into my bed in the middle of the night because he was fucking cold," Michael said, a lump in his throat. "I don't know, it just feels like for the first time I have a chance."

"I'm glad," Ray chuckled. "Also, when did you become a Disney character?"

Michael threw his Tower of Pimps at the man beside him, laughing as Gavin entered the room.

"So did Geoff kill you?" Ray asked the Brit after scooping the Tower from the floor and onto Michael's desk.

"He's right pissed, but I've a feeling things will be fine."

Michael smirked as he felt Gavin give him a pat on the back as he sat down.

"Yeah, it'll be fine."

-

Michael joined Gavin and Ray for lunch that day, and he laughed when Gavin asked about their first date, because the Brit went over the details, he nailed it.

He even remembered what shirt Michael was wearing that day, and the day he proposed, though Ray accused him of only knowing that from the video on the site.

"Of course not! Michael, I swear I remembered!"

The red head chuckled, wrapping an arm around Gavin in reassurance. "I believe you, idiot." Ray smirked at his friends, finally, Michael was back, and Gavin was on his way. And how could he tell that? Michael still got angry when the Englishman tried to take his fries, kissing him on the cheek out of frustration. And Gavin didn't flinch, he just blushed and continued to eat the fries in front of him.

"Sorry, forgot," Michael muttered after, but Gavin was quick to tell him that it was okay.

-

On Michael's birthday, Gavin asked him if he'd like to get back together officially (because finally, things were back to the way they were before--Gavin had even started moving into their apartment).

Of course, Michael immediately accepted, kissing him in front of the entire Rooster Teeth office.

"M-Michael, I think Miles is recording us."

Geoff chuckled wrapping his arms around the two before pulling his phone out to snap a selfie.

"Don't be stupid, Gav. We all are."

Michael shrugged, pulling Gavin back into a kiss.  Man, had he missed this. Missed Gavin.

"This might not be the best time to tell you, but I also didn't get you a present," Gavin whispered after pulling away a bit.

The red head chuckled, wrapping his arms tightly around the Englishman and kissing him on the forehead.

"I think I can deal with that, Gav."

-

A few months later, after the younger man's memory had returned in bulk (with a few missing shreds of Michael here and there), they travelled to New Jersey for Christmas.

"Gavin, really, it's okay. We could have just stayed in Texas, or maybe even England this year."

"Michael, if I remember correctly, we went to England for my birthday last year. I want to re-meet your family, maybe I can learn more embarrassing stories about you," Gavin teased, his fingers entwined with Michael's in the airport as they began walking to the exit with their bags.

"I guess, but I don't know how they'll feel when they realize that we're not engaged anymore."

Gavin shrugged. "Hardly my fault that I got hit by a bloody car. At least we're together."

Michael sighed at Gavin's words, but smiled when he saw his family all grouped together.

"Alright, Gav. Here's the family."

Gavin grinned, hugging everyone who greeted him while Michael focused more on explaining a few things to his mother, to which she replied that she would happily tell more of his childhood stories to his boyfriend.

"Thanks, mom," Michael said, pressing a kiss to her forehead before hugging her.

Gavin came over to give Mrs. Jones a hug, and she swiftly reminded him that the family loved him. And Michael swore he saw tears forming in Gavin's eyes.

-

When they were seated around the living room with Michael's parents, his nephew and niece, as well as his brothers, Gavin curled into the his partner's side.

After everyone had opened their presents, Gavin slipped a box into Michael's hands quietly, pressing a kiss to his jaw from where he was seated.  Michael looked down, knowing what the small boxes, like all others he'd ever seen, contained.

He pulled the top up carefully, exhaling softly when he found a plain gold band with an emerald embedded.

"Michael, I don't remember everything about us, but I want to, so badly, because I do love you.

I didn't even have to remember that, it sort of just worked itself out. We don't have to get married quickly, I just wanted to let you know that I'm trying to remember, and I'm trying to be everything I can for you, and I'll do that for the rest of my life, okay?"

Michael sighed, pressing a kiss to Gavin's forehead and slipping the ring on himself, smiling when he noticed that the other man was wearing the ring he's given him almost two years ago.

"I love you, too, Gavin."

"All that just for an 'I love you?'"

Michael grinned, kissing his once-again fiancé.

"Shut the fuck up."

**Author's Note:**

> YAY! Hope you enjoyed, please leave a kudos or comment if you have the time and let me know what you thought! I super duper appreciate it!


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